GW/MW-001

26/05/12. - Plynlimon-Pen Pumlumon Fawr
Height   752 M / 2467ft
Grid reference   SN 789869

For this activation the Aberdare Amateur Radio Society SOTA group decided to activate Plynlimon-Pen Pumlumon Fawr which is a 752 meter peak located in the Cambrian Mountains. It is listed in the Mid Wales SOTA region and bears the designation GW/MW-001. The OS grid reference for the summit is SN789869 and it carries a 6 point award for activation (plus 3 points if in a bonus period). The group consisted of Mal (GW6OVD), Alex (2W0PPL) and Me (Andy - GW7RKC).

We decided to get an early start from Aberdare as the 73 mile journey would take around an hour and a half. We arrived at the privately owned Eisteddfa Gurig area on the A44 at around 11am. The site had ample parking (£3 fee) and also had basic toilet facilities. The conditions were very good for walking, it was a bright sunny day but there was a brisk wind to ensure we kept cool. We gathered up our kit and made our way between two houses and a farm building to meet the path toward Pumlumon. 

The initial ascent

The initial section of the trail had a modest incline which soon flattened out and good progress was made. 

Picturesque stream

The scenery was very pleasant with a picturesque stream running to the right of the trail.

Getting Steeper...

After half an hour and a 2 km walk we reached a fork in the road. With the advice from another walker we decided to take the left fork. At this point the trail became a lot steeper.

We arrived at the summit just after midday. The conditions at the summit were extremely windy with winds fast enough to make standing and moving around difficult!

Alex and Mal demonstrate just how windy it was!

Andy and Alex Shelter from the Ferocious Wind!

Fortunately there was a stone shelter by the trig point which provided a windbreak and an ideal spot to operate from.

The high wind bending our antenna pole.

We set up the trusty twinlead Slim Jim on our fishing pole and got ready for operating on 2m FM.

Operating from the stone shelter

A view of the stone shelter from the trig point. The views all around the summit are spectacular!

The contacts arrive thick and fast

The 2m band was fairly busy and the contacts came in thick and fast. We soon had all we needed for activation. Now we were operating just for the enjoyment!











Many thanks to all the stations that helped us with our activation of GW/MW-001. Here are some of the contacts made, apologies if I've left anyone out!

 

I think Mal and Alex would agree with me when I say this was a great day out and probably one of the most enjoyable activations we have done to date. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and please do drop by again soon!

73

Andy - GW7RKC

Nant-y-moch Reservoir from Pumlumon Fawr

GPS Log of route

GW/SW 012

GW/SW 012   12/05/12. - Coity Mountain

Height  581M / 1905ft

Grid reference   SO 231080

We arrived at our start point to the south west of the summit, just above Cwmtillery Reservoir and found a lovely spot to park with room for 4 or 5 cars at SO 224 075 (422 M ASL )

Just Phil (MW0PJJ) and myself Mal (GW6OVD) on this occasion.

The approach road is a little narrow and rough but passable with care.

After taking a few minutes to take in the breathtaking views and take a few photos, we decided to follow the general direction of the stream up through the cutting towards the summit. 

It was a fairly steep in places and there is no obvious path, so we just followed the sheep paths where we could. 

The ground was fairly firm but the scrub made it hard going.

It became easier by the time we got within a few hundred meters of the summit but the ground suddenly became very boggy.

The top of the mountain is large and flat with no obvious summit so we found a nice spot to set up using our GPS as a guide.

After a couple of contacts with club members back in the Aberdare Valley ( around 20 miles away) it soon became quite busy and contacts were made with many stations including a couple of “Windmills On The Air” special event stations in the Midlands.

Many thanks to all the stations who helped with our activation of GW/SW 012 and made this a very enjoyable day for Phil and myself.

Route taken to summit

73

Mal

Contacts made with the following

GW/SW 011

GW/SW 011    24/03/12.

Height 663M / 2175 ft

Grid reference SO 913184

GW/SW 037

GW/SW 037   05/05/12. - Craig yr Allt

Height  274 M / 899 ft

Grid reference   ST 133850




Arrived at the car park at 11.30 a.m. (Andy needs to get a sat nav!!).The weather has improved over the last few days from heavy rain to a pleasant morning. The group consisted of Mal (GW6 OVD), Phil (MW0 PJJ), Andy (GW7 RKC), Alex(2W0PPL), Corinne and Ruby (my dog). We headed towards the summit following the GPS. The OS map shows a number of routes however we followed the wrong one !!

We finally arrived at the summit which has no trig point or markers. Setting up the station we soon found out how busy the summit was with many walkers, local horse riding school and a mountain biker!

Contacts were very slow and we struggled for activation, this may have been due to it being a bank holiday weekend.

After activating the summit we made the decent (following the correct path) this can easily be found from the small car park taking the path just after the second gate on the right where there is a small gully as shown below from the GPS mapping software.

google maps awaiting GPS overlay